2023 F1 Qatar GP: Starting grid for Saturday's sprint race in Doha

Australian driver Oscar Piastri clinched pole position for the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix sprint race, marking a momentous milestone for his career as the F1 rookie secured his first-ever pole position in F1, besting his McLaren teammate Lando Norris by a mere 0.082 seconds.

However, it wasn't smooth sailing for championship contender Max Verstappen, who had his fastest lap time nullified due to exceeding track limits, relegating him to the third spot.

Mercedes' George Russell was once again in fine form after Friday's qualifying race, and secured the fourth-fastest time. The Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc trailed closely in fifth and sixth positions respectively.

Nico Hulkenberg claimed the seventh spot, with Red Bull's Sergio Perez and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso at eighth and ninth position respectively. Esteban Ocon rounded off the top 10.

It was Ocon's Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly who secured P11 for the sprint race after being pipped by his compatriot in a close contest.

However, it was Lewis Hamilton who drew the most attention from Saturday's sprint qualifying. The seven-time world champion faced a surprise elimination during the SQ2 session after having multiple laps deleted, leaving him in 12th position on the starting grid.

Lewis Hamilton was accompanied by fellow drivers Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas, Liam Lawson, and Zhou Guanyu, who all failed to progress to the SQ3 segment of qualifying.

Zhou Guanyu, Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, Yuki Tsunoda and Kevin Magnussen round out the bottom five of the sprint race.

Full starting grid for the 2023 F1 Qatar GP sprint race

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

2. Lando Norris (McLaren)

3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

4. George Russell (Mercedes)

5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

7. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

8. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

10. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

11. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

12. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

13. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)

14. Liam Lawson (AlphaTauri)

15. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)

16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

17. Alex Albon (Williams)

18. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)

19. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

20. Logan Sargeant (Williams)

As the sprint race approaches the Lusail International Circuit, all eyes are on Max Verstappen, who remains on course to secure his third world title.

The Red Bull driver needs only to finish within the top six and gather three or more points in the upcoming sprint race to clinch his third straight F1 world championship, a prospect that looks all but certain.